Pursuing passions from crochet to photography

We encourage our residents to explore their talents and enjoy pursuing passions and the things they love in life. For many of our residents, this could mean rediscovering earlier interests that they were no longer able to enjoy, perhaps due to injury or disability.

By providing opportunities for our residents to explore or rekindle their interests, they can relive treasured memories or discover hidden talents, which can contribute to a sense of achievement and purpose.

When Nola arrived at Norah Head Care Community, her family mentioned to us how much she loved to crochet. Nola told us how she used to crochet lovely wraps for every newborn in her family. She described how she had stopped this hobby following her diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease which caused her hands to shake.

Allison, our Lifestyle team member pondered how she could help Nola pick up her once loved talent again. “I thought that we would have Nola use a hook with a large handle to see if it made it a bit easier to crochet, I brought one in and in no time at all she was grinning from ear to ear and going around and around on a granny square.” It wasn’t long before the colours were picked out and Nola was ready make a new blanket!

On completion of her first blanket in several years, Nola is very proud of herself and is already working on her next one. “It is simply a joy to watch and I’m so proud of how Nola accomplishes things she didn’t think she was able to anymore” says Allison. “To bring JOY to our residents is a double blessing indeed!”

At Kawana Waters Care Community, Roy and team member Jo share a passion for photography and for Roy, combining his love for bird watching and photography is always a win. On their first outing, Roy struggled to hold the camera without shaking and quickly became disheartened.

It wasn't long before Jo and Roy devised a plan and with the help of their Maintenance Officer Graham, adapted Roy’s wheelchair so he could take photos with a steady hand. On their next outing, Jo and Roy took gorgeous photos of the local canal and the birds while sharing their knowledge and experience with one another. They now have a regular fortnightly bird watching date where they take photos or just view the birds through the camera for a closer look.